


Fall of the Ocelots

by peachb0mber



Category: MCSM, Minecraft Story Mode
Genre: Gen, unnecessary drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-05
Updated: 2016-06-05
Packaged: 2018-07-12 11:45:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7101922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachb0mber/pseuds/peachb0mber
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I'm really bad at titles. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯</p><p>No official prompt, just me being especially inspired by the pure anger Maya must have felt when the leader of her friend group essentially betrayed them.</p><p>Original fic post <a href="http://theprincessjessi.tumblr.com/post/142980373466/this-was-super-self-indulgent-because-i-like">here</a>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fall of the Ocelots

Maybe she’s supposed to feel regretful. Maybe she’s supposed to feel guilty. Given the chaos running amuck in Sky City that she helped create, those are the most expected emotions. Instead, though, all she feels is a boiling fury.

On her knees with her hands in the air, nails biting into her skin as she clenches her fists, she inhales slowly through her nose. Smoke from the burning buildings irritates her lungs. Anger keeps her mouth shut, unable to form words. So she watches, and she waits.

Gill is beside her, in the same position. He looks afraid, a stark contrast to Maya. He keeps glancing around, flinching whenever a stray Ghast fireball or a Skeleton Archer arrow comes too close. He hasn’t said anything either. Maya notes that he looks a little green. She imagines he probably has more regrets than she does.

Their captors stand before them, alert and ready to fight. Petra’s in front of Gill, Ivor in front of Maya, both with enchanted swords drawn and pointed. Beside Petra, Lukas has his hands on his hips. She watches the way his gaze never rests, especially not on them. She knows he’s looking for Jesse, and she knows he’s avoiding looking at them on purpose. If she squeezes her fists any tighter, her nails might break skin.

She opens her mouth to finally say something, though she has no idea what’s about to come out of her mouth, when Petra and Lukas look towards the castle. Ivor keeps his eyes on Maya and Gill, and Maya returns his stare evenly.

“Jesse!” Petra’s relieved, but Maya’s stomach leaps into her throat. They went after Aiden. They came back. Judging by Petra’s tone, Aiden isn’t with them.

Lukas voices the question she can’t bear to ask. “Where’s Aiden? I heard the fighting.”

Maya breaks eye contact with Ivor to look sideways at Gill. He’s looking back at her, eyes wide.

There’s a very obvious pause before Jesse answers. “We fought and he fell down one of the waterfalls.”

The world tilts. Maya doesn’t realize that she’s the one moving. She sits back on her feet, hands gripping her upper thighs. Her unfocused eyes are on Lukas because she can’t see Jesse.

Lukas frowns. “Well. What goes around comes around, I guess.”

Maya springs to her feet, surprising Ivor so much he stumbles backwards. Petra moves in front of him, eyes challenging, sword at Maya’s throat.

“What are you gonna do?”

The brunette only has eyes for Lukas. A flash of guilt briefly contorts his features, but then it’s replaced by something she can’t decipher.

“Easy, Petra,” He says, gesturing for her to put the sword down. “She’s not going to do anything. She can’t.”

“Can’t or won’t?” Petra asks Maya, sword never wavering.

Maya doesn’t speak.

“Petra, seriously.” Lukas sounds a touch exasperated. “It’s fine.”

The sword falls. Petra takes a step back.

Maya stalks over to Lukas, fire in her eyes. Her cheeks burn.

Suddenly the destruction of Sky City isn’t the scariest thing happening.

“How _dare_ you.”

Lukas blinks. “I-I’m sorry?”

She bursts all at once, anger flooding her senses. “You’re just going to believe them? When they’re so obviously lying to your stupid face?!” She jabs a finger in Jesse’s direction, and they hold up their hands, brown eyes wide. The picture of innocence. She thinks she’d run them through if she had a sword.

Lukas’s anger flares, but he restrains it quickly. “Maya, come on-”

“No! Jesse throws Aiden off this stupid freaking island,” her voice hitches, but she presses on, “and all you have to say is he deserved it?! Who _are_ you?”

His expression is stern, and she knows that look. Knows it so well it makes her heart hurt. That was the look he gave when Aiden was mouthing off too much during competitions, the look he gave when Aiden snapped at Gill, the look he gave whenever Aiden toed the line of his patience. In retrospect, maybe she should have seen the end coming for them.

“Jesse didn’t do anything,” he says defensively. “Besides, Aiden kicked them off the world, but you don’t seem to care about that.” His normally calm, ocean blue eyes are stormy, and his arms are crossed. The world’s falling to pieces around them, but no one dares interrupt the arguing. “Jesse’s lucky to be alive.”

“I _don’t_ care! I don’t care about Jesse, I don’t care that Aiden kicked them off, I don’t care that this island is burning to the ground as we speak. What I care is about is the fact that you left us because you didn’t care!”

“No, no, no, you don’t get to say that!” Lukas shoots back, facade gone and voice biting. “I came back for you, for _all_ of you, and you repay me by ditching me for Aiden without a second thought.”

“Aiden needed me because _you freaking left_!” She raises her voice almost to a scream, shoving Lukas as hard as she can. He hardly budges, considering she only just reaches his shoulders in height.

A hand grabs her shoulder and pulls her roughly backwards, and she spins around, ready to go at whoever touched her. Gill beats her to it, fist connecting with Jesse’s cheek. Jesse lets go of Maya, who’s then tugged towards Gill.

“You keep your hands off of her.” Gill’s voice is low and fierce, protective hand on Maya’s shoulder.

Everyone’s in a state of paralysis, even Maya, unused to seeing Gill so aggressive. Reality snaps back in the form of a Ghast fireball slamming into the ground not far from them. Civilians scatter, the Ghast cries in defeat, and the Founder dashes up to them, dual blades drawn.

“What is going on here?” She demands, outraged. “My people are in grave danger while you all squabble like children!”

Reginald steps out from behind Jesse, the Eversource safely in his arms, and Isa’s rage vanishes. “You retrieved the Eversource.” The relief in her voice is palpable.

Maya and Gill are almost forgotten completely as Milo and the Build Club join the fray. Maya tunes all of them out in favor of whispering intently with Gill.

“Nice hit.”

Gill snorts in weary amusement. “Thanks.”

Now that she isn’t going toe-to-toe with Lukas, her emotions have dulled from an out of control wildfire to a wavering candle flame. “I can’t believe he’s choosing them over us.” She casts a glance at Lukas, obnoxiously fretting over his poor Jesse, and scowls. “This is stupid.”

“Nothing we can do about it now,” Gill mutters. His expression is more openly hurt than hers, but just as annoyed. Another unusual wave of violence rolls over him. The hand on Maya’s shoulder tightens.

The civilians are raising an uproar over something Jesse said as Maya finally brings up the dreaded question. “Do you think Aiden made it?”

“If he went down the waterfall like Jesse said, probably. They made it back, after all.”

“Yeah, like Jesse is so trustworthy.” She rolls her eyes, bitter as black coffee.

Gill’s hand moves to ruffle Maya’s hair. “We’ll find him. Forget Jesse.”

Someone splashes into the giant waterfall beside them, drawing both out of their hushed conversation. Maya leans over to see Jesse surface from underwater, swimming backwards and encouraging the crowd of people.

Milo the innkeeper hops in after Jesse, followed shortly by the Founder. Maya straightens up, turns to say something to Gill, but Petra’s standing beside her, devilish grin on her face. Maya pales, and the next thing she knows, she’s enveloped in frigid water. She breaks the surface, gasping, and flails around until she clings onto Gill. He’s more afraid than she is by far.

She shoves wet hair out of her face angrily, scanning the water for Petra. She spots the redhead in the blue armor and cups her hands over her mouth.

“Hey, you bi-”

They tumble over the edge of the island.

 

After what feels like an eternity of falling, they crash into a lake. The storm and fire and destruction is left far behind in Sky City. The world below is calm and picturesque, sun shining down cheerily on untouched land stretching as far as the eye can see.

Maya heaves herself onto the shore, then helps pull Gill out. The brisk breeze makes her shiver. “Alright, dum-dum, where are you…” she asks breathlessly to no one in particular, shielding her eyes from the sun and looking around frantically.

Gill, beside her, shakes the water out of his hair like a dog before pushing his bangs back, looking over the heads of people. “I don’t see-”

“Maya! Gill!”

Maya’s head whips towards the voice, towards a brunette figure with bright green eyes on a short, 4 by 4 square tower of dirt in the process of being built. Stairs wrap around the tower, and Aiden is already halfway down by the time Maya can shout his name in gleeful response.

“Come on, come on!” She tears off through the crowd, Gill in tow, ducking and weaving around civilians.

“Stop right there!” Lukas’s voice rings through the area right as Maya and Gill burst through a group of people. He has Aiden against a tree, sword pointed at his throat. “You’re not going anywhere, Aiden.”

Maya charges at Lukas without hesitation, but is easily intercepted by a palace guard. Small as she is, all he has to do is hook his arms under hers and she’s swept off the ground, kicking and screaming. Two more guards nab Gill by either arm as he launches himself towards the one who has Maya. He, however, stills immediately.

“Leave him alone, Lukas!”

Lukas looks over his shoulder at her, soaking wet and fighting with all she’s got. His shoulders go a little slack and he looks back to Aiden as two guards appear on either side.

“Tell him what happened, Aiden,” she kicks backwards at the guard holding her, barely missing his knee, “During the fight with Jesse, what really happened?”

“It’s done, Maya,” Aiden says, exhausted. “I’m done.”

“Tell him!”

Aiden sighs, head tilting back to look briefly up at the sky. Sometime between the fall and now, it’s started to rain. “We were fighting. I went backwards, tripped, and fell into the waterfall.”

“ _What?!_ ”

Even Gill chimes in with his disbelief. “Yeah right!”

Aiden doesn’t look at them.

“Why are you lying?! What has Jesse ever done for us besides ruin everything?” Maya’s gone limp against the guard’s hold, and he sets her on the ground, hands behind her back. “Aiden, you can’t-”

“Maya.” His voice is sharp. “It’s over.”

She bites her tongue because of the underlying weakness in his voice.

Lukas motions for the guards to take them away. He pauses next to Maya, back to Aiden and Gill, and opens his mouth.

“Save it,” she snaps, voice wobbling. “Enjoy your gross new friends.”

His visage hardens, mouth forming a thin line. He joins Jesse and the others without another word.

As the guards lead them away, Maya side eyes Aiden. He looks downright defeated, shoulders slumped, head bowed, feet sluggish. She wants to reach out to him, but her hands are literally tied.

“You were coming back for us. Thank you.”

Aiden doesn’t respond, doesn’t even look over at her.

“Aiden, I’m not going anywhere. Okay? No matter what. Not like Lukas.”

His gaze slides to her. His eyes are grateful, but his face is tired.

“I’m sorry. To both of you.”

“Don’t sweat it, man. We’re with you to the end,” Gill says dismissively.

“Without a doubt.”

Aiden’s attention goes back to the ground, but Maya catches the subtle sniffling.

“Thanks, guys.”


End file.
